I too was like you suffering from withdraw. I found a pretty nice substitute. I started fly-fishing for trout and steelhead all winter. It's not a bass, but it does help with the withdraw disorder.

I am an Avid Fly Rodder here in the North East. I usually travel to Northern NY to the Salmon river fron Nov. to March to get my Steel Head Fix. Also, I always go out here in NH on Jan 1st. for opening day. Today was the first time in years that I didn't go out due to the high winds and horribly cold weather.

I #$%#$%&$# DO !!!!!!!!!!!  >

I went Monday but without any luck whatsoever.  I usually get out and catch a couple while bankfishing during the winter to keep me sane.  Just don't ask my wife though because she says it doesn't really help me at all.  

I'm still fishing, I just miss catching the d*mn things !!

I sure hate it for you northern folks!

Winter fishing here on Guntersville sure is nice!  ;D

Last Sunday it got into the 70s and I had to take my jacket off!  Bass fishing has been steady, not too great but I haven't been skunked yet this "winter"

I couldn't imagine living where water freezes over.  MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!  :

Uhhhh, not me, I can fish year round in 70°+ weather.  ;D

It's PRIMETIME for smallmouth on the Tennessee River!

;D ;D ;D

Right before Xmas, when the high temps were about 30 degrees, I took all of my reels in to get them cleaned. The day after Xmas the temp here was around 60. I am still kicking myself in the behind.

I just reorganized my tackle and cleaned all my reels. It sure does make ya anxious when you get to smell the ol' plastics again. Im getting sick of shoveling just got another foot over night. I think that puts us at 6 feet in the last month. Ugh!

Getting ready to place a tackle order to ease my pain lol

Its not the same but ..... Cabella's Monster Bass for PS2 is fun durring the offseason.

I don't much think about soft water fishing until March.  The wife and I start going through the catalogs to see what we can afford to get for the up coming season.  By the time we order and get the stuff it's mid April and usually the lakes open the third week or so of April.  General fishing opens the first weekend in May, but bass doesn't open until the third week in June where we live.  The end of April, first part of May, we do most of our pan fishing.  After the opener we fish for trout until bass opens, then go after them.

Right now I have been too busy blowing snow out of the drive to even fish through a hole.  We have had fish-able ice since just before Thanksgiving.

I do!!!  2 more weeks!!!

It's 95 degrees in Sydney Australia right now.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/local/ASXX0112?lswe=Sydney,%20AUSTRALIA&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared&from=searchbox_typeahead

Fly us out there please  ;D

Temps in the 30's here, and yes, I MISS FISHING

Although I've been able to keep myself mildly entertained with ice fishing here in iowa, it's nothin like sling baits at fallin tree with a 7 ft rod from the front of a boat..... I MISS IT LIKE A FAT KID MISSES CANDY BARS AT SUMMER CAMP!!!!

sorry for that outburst, cabin fever talkin.... ;D

I haven't been since Friday. I'm starting to get a little itchy  

Some of the best fishing around these parts in in the dead of winter.  Not for Bass though.  Spent a nice 1/2 day this past Sunday hooking 30"+ cold steel.  My buddy and I had a mile of stream to ourselves.

Not only is the entire state of MN frozen solid right now, we have fishing seasons too. The MN bass opener isn't 'till May 23! You guys think it's hard not fishing when the lakes are frozen? Try not fishing on a 70 degree day in spring when you can see the bass from just about every shore you stand on. For me, that's worse than the hard water, as they call it up here.

Up until two years ago, bass were strictly verboten until the 3rd Saturday in June!  Thankfully that rule was changed in MOST areas of the state, and we can now catch and immediate release in fall, winter, and spring.

doesn't help that I have a new setup, been so tempted to cast out into the snow and pretend I am fishing. haha, think i am going crazy

spring can't come soon enough

You mean like this?

I'll tell ya one thing, a malamute will really test your drag. . .

The northern Michigan snow belt is in rare form this year.

A-Jay

who here doesnt miss fishing would be a better question. :

Going to try some ice fishing for the first time i guess. Trying to make winter go by faster, so trying to find something that I may like in winter.

Ice fishing breaks it up for me. It is probably the only outdoor activity I don't take seriously, and don't really work at.

I try to not even think of soft water until the middle or end of March, even then I have a good month to get out on open water, sometimes more.

There is nothing like that first windless, sunny day after ice out. I love unfurling those casts with the fly rod. You see the line and leader gently rest on the water. The line twitches, and a big gill sucks in a size 18 midge.

He tears the water in tight circles as you bring him to the canoe. When you reach down to pick him up, he feels cold as ice and looks almost grateful to be warmed by your hand.

I greet him and tell him how much I missed him, then let him swim back to his lady.

About then the sun warms my spine from my butt to my neck.., and everything is good again.

Winter is tough, twenty below temperatures, wind chills to minus fifty, snow, snow and more snow...., but on those warm days after ice-out, I figure the Lord gives me pay back.

Heck if you had a birthday every day it wouldn't be fun any more.